PYD/PKK supporters attack mosque in Netherlands

ROTTERDAM (AA) - Sympathizers of the PYD/PKK terrorist organization attacked a mosque in the Netherlands on Monday night, according to mosque officials.

The windows of the Geylani Mosque, which is run by the Geylani Foundation, were broken and the walls were vandalized with slogans related to the terrorist organization.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ali Dede Tas, head of the Geylani Foundation, condemned the attack, adding that it was likely related to Turkey’s current military operation in northwest Syria.

Turkey on Saturday launched Operation Olive Branch to remove the PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin, just across Turkey’s southern border.

Tas said that a group of people who came for morning prayers noticed the graffiti on the walls.

Slogans such as “Afrin”, “Apo” (referring to the convicted leader of the terrorist PKK), and "PKK youth" were written on the mosque’s walls.

According to a neighbor, the incident happened around 05.00 am (0400GMT), Tas added.

"As a mosque, we have been serving young people and families here for 15 years. We never harmed anyone, and everyone knows us in this neighborhood. Such incidents sadden us all,” he said.

Tas stated that they filed a report with the police.

PYD/PKK terrorist sympathizers also attacked two mosques in Germany on Sunday night, sparking outrage among the country’s Turkish-Muslim community.

In Germany, the PKK has been banned since 1993, but it is still active, with nearly 14,000 followers among the country's Kurdish immigrant population.

Supporters of the PYD/PKK have organized demonstrations in various German cities to protest Turkey’s ongoing military operation against the terrorist group in northwest Syria.

- PKK active in Europe

The three-decade-plus campaign of the PKK, listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. and the EU, has killed some 40,000 people, including women and children.

In recent years, through its branches in Europe, the PKK has also organized events promoting itself at the European Parliament, over Ankara’s objections.

Turkey has long complained that despite the PKK’s banned status, European countries allow it to operate with impunity on their soil.

Turkey, for instance, condemned the placing of photos of convicted PKK terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan at a 2016 event in the European Parliament.

Ankara has also repeatedly criticized European countries for not doing enough against the terror group. Turkey has also blasted PKK drug trafficking in Europe and urged action against it.

Last November, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said there are some supporters of the PKK terrorist group within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), blasting this situation as "European hypocrisy.”